1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to liquid treatment devices and, more particularly, to a lightweight apparatus for introducing a gas or liquid from a fluid supply source into an open topped treatment tank.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
There is a requirement in many different types of liquid treatment processes that air or other gases such as chlorine or sulfur dioxide be injected into the liquid. For example, during mixing of chemical compositions, aeration of sewage water, or aeration of water used for aquaculture, it is commonly necessary to blow air into the mixing or treatment tanks by introducing air through nozzles, e.g. diffusers.
Likewise, where other gases or liquids are to be introduced into a liquid, it is known to inject these additives by delivering the additives through suitable nozzles such as injectors or diffusers in order to provide the desired treatment.
It is conventional to employ rigid piping in an open topped liquid treatment tank for delivering a treatment fluid to the tank. When maintenance of such piping is required, the entire tank is drained and cleaned before maintenance is conducted on the nozzles of the diffuser or injector assemblies that are secured at the bottom of the rigid piping within the tank. Thus, the treatment process must be shut down entirely or moved to a different tank in order for such maintenance to be completed.
Numerous hazards and drawbacks are presented by this conventional construction. For example, because the nozzles are located at the bottom of what are often deep tanks, the workers are placed in a hazardous environment in which they must climb into and out of the tank to conduct repairs and because of the nature of many known liquid treatment processes, the workers are exposed to hazardous materials once the tank is emptied. In addition, the entire process of draining and cleaning the tank, and of repairing the nozzles may require weeks, at a substantial cost to the treatment operator.
An attempted solution to the problems presented by the permanent piping construction is to provide the injectors on a large arm fastened to the top of a tank. By forming the arm as a knuckle boom, and by installing winches to operate the booms, it is possible to pull the nozzles from the tank for servicing. However, this construction is large, heavy, expensive, and difficult for a single operator to handle.